Link Age
Link age is how long a backlink has existed since it was first found. Long-lasting links on maintained pages are often seen as more trusted, though Google has not confirmed age as a factor.
Meaning of Link Age
Link age measures time. It starts when a backlink first appears on the web, or more precisely when a search engine or SEO tool first discovers it, and it keeps counting for as long as the link stays live.
Backlink tools record this as a timestamp, usually called “first seen.” Ahrefs, Semrush and Majestic all show when each link was first discovered, and many also show “last seen” or “lost” dates when a link disappears. These dates are estimates based on each tool’s crawl, so the same link can have slightly different ages in different tools. A link that existed for months before a crawler found it will look younger than it is.
Link age applies to individual links, not domains. A domain might be twenty years old while a link on it was added last week. Domain age and link age are often confused, but they measure different things.
The idea of link age has been discussed in SEO for a long time, partly because of a Google patent on information retrieval based on historical data. That patent describes tracking when links appear and disappear, and using those patterns to judge documents over time. A patent shows what Google explored, not necessarily what it uses today, and Google has never confirmed exactly how link age affects rankings.
In practice, link age is best understood as one clue about a link’s history rather than a ranking factor on its own.
Effect on Value
Many SEOs believe older links carry more weight than new ones, and there are reasonable arguments for that view.
A link that has stayed on a page for years has passed a kind of test. It survived content updates, site redesigns and editorial reviews. It was not removed when payments stopped or when the site owner cleaned up outbound links. That longevity suggests the link reflects a lasting recommendation, not a short-term arrangement.
New links also take time to have their full effect. Search engines need to crawl the linking page, process the link and reassess the target page. How quickly that happens depends partly on how often Google crawls a site. On a small site that is crawled rarely, a new link may not be counted for weeks. That delay is one reason link building results often appear gradually rather than overnight.
There are limits to the “older is better” idea, though. An old link on a page that has lost its traffic, its own backlinks and its relevance may pass less value today than a new link on a strong, active page. Age does not protect a link from the decline of the page it sits on.
A fair summary: links on maintained, popular pages that last for years tend to be strong links, and new links need time to show their effect. Age itself is less important than the health of the page holding the link.
Link Age vs Decay
Link age and link decay are two sides of the same timeline.
Link age describes how long a link has existed. Link decay describes how links lose value, or disappear, over time. A link can grow older and stronger at the same time if its page keeps attracting traffic and links. It can also grow older and weaker if its page is buried in archives, loses its own backlinks or stops being maintained.
Decay takes two forms. Outright loss happens when a link is removed, a page is deleted, a site shuts down or a domain expires. Value decay happens when the link stays live but the page holding it loses strength.
Both affect how you read link age. A profile full of old links is not automatically healthy. If many of those links sit on neglected pages, the profile may be weaker than its age suggests. Equally, a profile with many new links is not automatically risky, as long as those links come from real, relevant sites.
Link age also connects to link velocity, the rate at which a site gains new links. A steady flow of new links alongside a base of older ones looks natural. A profile where nearly all links appeared in the same few weeks, then nothing, can look unusual, which is why link velocity is often reviewed together with link age.
Tracking both helps you understand whether a link profile is growing, holding steady or shrinking beneath the surface.
Practical View
For most link builders, link age is something to observe rather than something to manipulate.
Focus on durable links. Links earned editorially, through content that people genuinely cite, tend to last for years. Paid links on low-quality sites often disappear when payments stop, sites are sold or owners clean up. If longevity matters to you, the method you use to build links matters more than any trick.
Be patient with new links. Give a campaign several weeks or a few months before judging its effect. Make sure new links can be found. A link on a page that never gets indexed passes nothing, however old it becomes.
Monitor links over time. Use a backlink monitoring tool to see when links appear and disappear. Track important placements individually so you notice quickly if a strong link is removed.
Look at the pages behind your oldest links. Check whether they still receive traffic and links. If an important old page has declined, there may be opportunities to suggest updated content or replacement resources to the site owner.
Do not buy aged domains or “aged links” expecting age alone to deliver results. Expired domains repurposed for links and old placements sold as premium are common features of link schemes, and Google’s systems look for those patterns.
Keep building. Link decay is constant, so a profile that stops growing slowly shrinks. Steady link building, rather than one-off bursts, keeps fresh links arriving while older ones mature.
Link age tells you how long a backlink has lasted, which hints at its quality and stability. Earn links that are built to last, give new links time to work, and pay more attention to the health of the pages holding your links than to their age alone.